Buckeye RINO

Sounds like an ingredient in a witch’s brew.

Actually, Bob Schieffer of the CBS show “Face the Nation” wanted to hear what a couple of prominent Republicans had to say about the future of the Republican party on the national level, and one of the perspectives was put forward by former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.  The other prominent Republican in the discussion with Schieffer was current Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.  You can watch the video here, but be aware that the segment with Gingrich and Jindal begins halfway through the show, with bloviating over auto industry bailouts occupying the first segment.  Otherwise, you can read a print version of yesterday’s “Face the Nation” episode here.

Among the points upon which Jindal and Gingrich agree are that the GOP needs to show that it can devise solutions, not just be a party of opposition.  I agree with that, too.  Gingrich talked about the Republican governors across the nation as being the implementers of solutions that the GOP will look to, and that the media will look to.  Gingrich fancies himself as someone who dreams up lots of solutions.

Herein lies the rub.

As an onlooker, it appeared to me that Gingrich was patronizingly positioning himself as head wrangler over a stable full of Republican governors.  Gingrich is talking as though he is the person who can harness these workhorses together.  Translation: Gingrich fancies himself either as a serious GOP prez contender in 2012; or as head of the RNC (probably not, as he dissed the RNC by saying, “I think that the Republican Governors Association is probably more important than the Republican National Committee in trying to get this done”); or as a kingmaker as to which Republican Governor will get his nod for GOP prez contender in 2012 (kiss his ring, or he might have to make himself king).

Newt’s banter seemed inoccuous enough except for his telltale take on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, which is why my eyebrow is raised.  Newt said:

“The natural pattern in the news media is going to be, they know how to spell Sarah Palin’s name; they have it locked in their word processor.  She’s going to be a much bigger story in the short run. But, I think, as she goes back to being governor and as she works in Alaska, you’re going to see a group of governors emerge, not just Sarah Palin. And there are 36 governorships up in 2010.

“I think focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party from state legislature and governor to Senate and House is the right model. And I think that the Republican Governors Association is probably more important than the Republican National Committee in trying to get this done”

So Bob Schieffer senses that Palin is being downplayed by Newt Gingrich, so he asks a followup question to confirm Newt’s views once and for all.

“She’s a wonderfully, intelligent, aggressive hardworking person who got, you know, hammered very badly by the press in, I think, fairly distorted ways.

“I think that she is going to be a significant player. But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She’s not going to be the de facto leader.”

Again, this Newt narrative is portraying the Republican governors as all being in a stable with no real leader head and shoulders above the other, leaving room (especially by not mentioning former governors, like Huckabee and Romney) for Newt Gingrich to float to the top.

Let me just say this:  Much as we need solutions from GOP leaders, and much as we would welcome solutions from Newt Gingrich, we do not need the new face of the Republican Party to be that of Newt Gingrich.  Sarah Palin caught on with Republican conservatives like a wildfire, and Newt Gingrich is catching on with the Republican conservative writing this blog entry like a wet blanket.  Not only did Gingrich never capture the enthusiasm with Republican conservatives to the degree that Sarah Palin did, there is also the spectre of sexism that would be raised if Gingrich were to be the new face of the GOP.  Not only would Gingrich be suspect in terms of downplaying Palin, he’s also suspect in terms of his marital history, plus he’s most famously suspect for what his mother revealed to Connie Chung about what Newt thought about Hillary Clinton (a word that starts with a “b” and rhymes with a person who might throw an eye of newt into a cauldron).  While Sarah Palin did not close the gender gap, with the majority of women voting for the Obama-Biden ticket, it’s hard to see how Gingrich would improve upon that demographic.  Sarah Palin did gain a following with men that I don’t think Gingrich quite understands, let alone that Gingrich can match.

As for what we expect to see out of Republican governors in the future, many of the rank-and-file already see something we really like in the performance of Sarah Palin as governor, and that is that she took on corrupt influences entrenched in government, and tossed them out of power.  This aligns neatly with what Jindal said: ” . . . we’ve got to stop defending the kinds of corruption we would rightfully criticize in the other party.”  Jindal has this as number two on his list, but I think Ohio Republicans would put it at number one on our list, because it is too rare.  Jindal’s first item is fiscal conservatism.  Well, I can find Ohio Republicans by the droves who believe in fiscal conservatism, and who have implemented such practices in their own respective elected offices.  Jindal’s third item is the afforementioned need to solve problems.  I can find some Ohio Republicans who can generate solutions.  But that 2nd item on the Jindal list, that of rooting out corruption, who’s had the power to do that in Ohio?  Only grassroots voters.  No prominent elected Ohio Republican has the courage to do what Sarah Palin did in Alaska, and that’s why not only would rank-and-file Republicans put Jindal’s second item as number one, but they’d also look upon Sarah Palin more favorably than the other Republican governors and why they’d think of Sarah Palin as a frontrunner to be the new face of the GOP, despite how Gingrich plays down her appeal.

Will it be Palin vs. Gingrich for the GOP prez nomination in 2012?  If so, Newt might emerge KO’d with a black eye from such a tussle.

I’ve got a lot of things to get done in real life this month, so my blogging may be not as prolific as it was last month.  I do, however, want to at least say a word of thanks to our veterans on Veterans Day.

To those who serve in America’s military, whether past or present, I just want to thank you for being the most important public servants, far more important than any one politician, in keeping America free.

Our nation is the lone superpower of the world. The other nations look to the United States of America to lead, to be a beacon, to be an example, to be the best.  I thank you, who wear or have worn the uniform of the armed forces of the United States of America, for your unsurpassed contribution to America’s greatness.

For those on duty now, I want you to know that I pray for you.  You have blessed America.  May God bless America also, and may He bless you.

The State of Ohio Blogger Alliance has undertaken the task of highlighting criticisms of the Obama ticket that the in-the-tank MSM works hard to downplay or outright ignore.  The effort has been titled “Help Ohio Prevent Electing Obama Now” (HOPE ON), and, in all, 13 installments will be rolled out for blog readers to peruse and reflect upon.

Here are my recaps for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, and Part 12.

BizzyBlog wraps up Part 13, the final installment of HOPE ON.  You can see an accompanying video at BizzyBlog, and you can see all 13 videos at neverfindout.org.  The transcript reads:

Thank you, Senator McCain. We don’t hear much about your service to our country. You don’t talk about it very often. But that’s okay. We will.

We all know to judge a man’s character not by what he says, but what he does. You haven’t just told us you love America. You have shown us. The years you spent tortured as a prisoner of war, don’t just tell us you are honorable. They show us we can trust you.

What did our Founding Fathers hope for in a president? How about a war hero who sacrificed again and again for the love of his country? How about a veteran of the Senate who has tirelessly put America first?

Senator McCain, fads come and go, but they don’t last. You are not a fad. You are the real deal, Senator. We could never question your commitment. We can’t question your experience. We can’t question your associations and your motivations.

You have always been proud of America. You have always put your country first. And for that, we say, “Thank you, Senator.”

The person who really did an excellent job of pointing out why McCain is the right person for the presidency right now is California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Here’s a video clip of Schwarzenegger speaking to those assembled at a McCain rally in Columbus, Ohio, during the past week. At about the 4 minute mark into the video, Schwarzenegger extols McCain by saying, “I only play an action hero in the movies, but John McCain is a real action hero.”  At about 5 minutes and 20 seconds, Schwarzenegger recounts his own migration from the socialism of Europe to the opportunity of America.  He also points out that Europe has had to backpedal on socialism because of its pratfalls, and he points out that America should not be marching toward socialism to find solutions for our economic problems, because socialism doesn’t have the solutions.  The Schwarzenegger speech is definitely worth a listen, so I hope you check it out.

From the Buckeye RINO perspective:

I’m pleased that Senator McCain stopped by Sandusky on his whirlwind campaign tour of Ohio.  On the stump, McCain gave a rousing speech, like the one at the Republican National Convention, imbued with hope, which is a stark contrast with the stump speeches I’ve sampled from Joe Biden.  Obama, on the stump, mocks McCain, but I don’t think there’s really much to mock, even though it has worked wonders on turning Obama into the media darling while placing McCain in the media doghouse.  McCain has not been George W. Bush, despite Obama’s contrary assertions.  McCain has been transparent.  McCain has been bipartisan.  McCain has been true to America even through times of wartime torture, and he has the scars to prove it.  McCain and Palin are firmly committed to reforming Washington DC.  As I noted in Part 9, McCain and Obama should be measured by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

If you’ve been reading this HOPE ON series, then you are aware of some of the most troubling aspects of the Obama platform.

• Obama has revealed himself to be a socialist.  We now have the smoking gun.  Now that he’s been pinned down, his counter-argument is that McCain’s platform is based on “selfishness,” which is hardly the way I’d describe John McCain when the chips are down.
• It’s now been shown that Obama’s reluctant shift toward an all-of-the-above approach toward energy was just a sham, as it’s now come out that the regulatory burden to be imposed on the coal industry during an Obama presidency will be prohibitive.  How many more industries, not just in the energy sector, could be impacted by regulatory burdens imposed by Obama remains to be seen.
• Obama’s views on education reform aren’t directed at learning or achieving academic success.  As shown by his work with Bill Ayers, “social justice” is to be the ultimate imperative that the schools are charged with achieving.
• Obama hasn’t been forthright, and the media has been his willing accomplice, as he intentionally steers clear of a number of topics.
• His views on how to achieve foreign policy objectives aren’t just naive, they are dangerous.
• Obama and his campaign are using the same politics of personal destruction against detractors like Joe the Plumber that Bill Clinton used against the likes of Paula Jones.
• Obama not only didn’t keep his word about public financing of his campaign, but he and his campaign have deliberately removed the checks and balances that would ensure that donors are identified, are U.S. citizens, have not donated using stolen credit card numbers, and have not exceeded the individual donation limits.
• And if checks and balances aren’t in place when it comes to campaign finances, they aren’t in place when it comes to voting.  The notoriously corrupt Chicago political machine has been exported from Illinois to all parts of the United States, especially swing states like Ohio.  Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has not ensured the integrity of elections.  The system can be gamed.  There are reports of ballot box stuffing and other forms of election fraud across the USA.  Brunner is now publicly saying that checking against voter fraud may cause her computer network to crash, which is the biggest lie I’ve heard emanating from Columbus since Marc Dann was drummed out of the Ohio Attorney General’s office.

This is just a partial list, for it doesn’t touch on issues of immigration, abortion, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, China, infrastructure, consumer protection, the First Amendment (“fairness doctrine”), the Second Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Supreme Court, national defence, housing, the Federal Reserve, states rights, etc.

McCain’s reforms are aimed at increasing the integrity of our nation’s politics.  Obama’s proposed changes, especially in light of how the campaign has been conducted, raise questions about integrity.  McCain is the real reformer, the real maverick, the real change agent, the real action hero, the real deal.

The State of Ohio Blogger Alliance has undertaken the task of highlighting criticisms of the Obama ticket that the in-the-tank MSM works hard to downplay or outright ignore.  The effort has been titled “Help Ohio Prevent Electing Obama Now” (HOPE ON), and, in all, 13 installments will be rolled out for blog readers to peruse and reflect upon.

Here are my recaps of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, and Part 11.

Return of the Conservatives has the scoop on part 12.  Watch the video there or here.  In 2007, Obama was rated the most liberal member of the Senate, with a whopping 95.5 rating on the liberal 100-point scale from National Journal, who reveals their rating methodology here.  That’s just one measure.  As pointed out at Return of the Conservatives, there are other measures.  The Citizens Club for Growth rated Obama tied for last place with a zero rating in Obama’s first year in office. Also pointed out at Return of the Conservatives:

He has a 0% rating from the Americans for Tax Reform and a 13% rating from Citizens Against Government Waste. His hatred for the Second Amendment was clear with his support of the DC gun ban, and further it is no surprise that the NRA gives him a F rating, and the Gun Owners of America gives him a 0% rating.

From the Buckeye RINO perspective:

This video and the one for HOPE ON Part 4 are nearly identical in content, so you might want to pull up Part 4 for further commentary.

These liberal scores are just based upon votes.  What isn’t measured are the ideals that Obama has held very close to the vest (HOPE ON Part 6) about where he ultimately wants to lead this country.  Given the smoking gun of his 2001 radio interview, as mentioned in HOPE ON Part 8, that suggests that his liberal leanings equate with those of Bill Ayers (HOPE ON Part 7) except for the violence (Obama denounced the violence carried out and advocated for by Ayers, but never denounced the radical views of Ayers–in fact, as more of the puzzle pieces come together, the ideological portrait of Obama is resembling that of Ayers more and more), which would put Obama to the left of virtually every blogger in Ohio’s political blogosphere, to the left of every other presidential candidate, including Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney, and to the left of nearly every popular liberal icon, like Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, and Bill Maher, let alone the other U.S. Senators.

When it comes to the bailout, Bob Latta gets it.

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Downtown Sandusky, in Erie County, Ohio, has a quaint little park named Washington Park.

Washington Street runs through it.

(Many more photos to ogle if you click to see the full story.)

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The State of Ohio Blogger Alliance has undertaken the task of highlighting criticisms of the Obama ticket that the in-the-tank MSM works hard to downplay or outright ignore.  The effort has been titled “Help Ohio Prevent Electing Obama Now” (HOPE ON), and, in all, 13 installments will be rolled out for blog readers to peruse and reflect upon.

Here are my recaps of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, and Part 10.

DarkeBlog has the scoop on Part 11.  The video can be accessed there or here.  The transcript of the video is important, so I’m including it with some bold type to add my own emphasis.

—Senator McCain, history has shown us your economic plans will work.
—When Ronald Reagan took office, the economy was far worse than it is today.
—You understand that Reagan’s plan worked. Senator Obama does not.
—Ronald Reagan cut marginal tax rates, dividend, and captial gains taxes. Senator Obama will raise them.
—Ronald Reagan cut taxes on small businesses. Senator Obama will raise them.
—Ronald Reagan cut spending and reduced the size of the federal government. Senator Obama plans to increase spending by nearly a trillion dollars. So who’s right?
—During Reagan’s eight years, the Gross Domestic Product nearly doubled. The net worth of a middle class household, again, nearly doubled, and 14 million new jobs were created.
—Senator McCain, we are hopeful.
—Because your economic policies are the policies of Ronald Reagan.
—As a nation in crisis, we’d be fools not to embrace your ideas.
—What happens when we pick the alternative? Please America. Let’s never find out.

From the Buckeye RINO Perspective:

I was too young to vote when Ronald Reagan was first elected in 1980.  But I do remember double-digit unemployment in Ohio.  I remember the oil shocks.  I remember double digit inflation.  I remember double digit mortgage rates.  Americans were being held hostage in Iran.  The U.S.S.R. had invaded Afghanistan.

Not only was the United States economy weak, but our foreign enemies also thought we were weak.  Jimmy Carter called for a boycott of the Summer Olympics in 1980.  Jimmy Carter called for a grain embargo on the Soviet Union.  American farmers had to sell their grain at prices that were too low, only to see profiteers in other nations who’d bought our low-priced grain turn around and re-sell the grain to the Soviet Union at prices that were inflated by our embargo.  Middlemen profited greatly thanks to Jimmy Carter.

One of my school teachers, who was a Democrat, had this to say when sizing up the Carter-Reagan presidential race: “I think, if the Soviet Union called up the White House on the hotline to say ‘Surrender or we launch our nuclear missiles in fifteen minutes,’ Jimmy Carter would surrender.  I think if Ronald Reagan answered the phone instead, he’d say ‘You’ll have your nuclear bombs up in fifteen minutes?  We’ll have ours up in ten!'”  I think the so-called “Reagan Democrats” were stirred by the resolve of Ronald Reagan.  I think voters across the spectrum felt he’d fight tooth-and-nail for us, while Carter would wave the white flag.

Looking back, isn’t it almost surreal that our GDP and the average family’s net worth both nearly doubled during the Reagan Administration?  The Iranians promptly returned the hostages.  The Soviet Union tried to get a little toe-hold on the Caribbean island of Grenada, and Reagan promptly invaded it. The old Cold War strategy of mutually assured destruction as a deterrent was replaced by the new strategy of outright victory. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”  The wall came down.  It’s the stuff of legends and fairy tales, and yet it happened.

This video ad points out that John McCain wants to tackle our economic problems the way Ronald Reagan did:  Cut taxes and let business thrive.  On the foreign policy front, all the other candidates, including Barack Obama, remind me of Jimmy Carter.  Only John McCain is resolved to win out against our enemies.

Frankly speaking, I love Ronald Reagan.  Which presidential candidate reminds you more of Ronald Reagan?

The State of Ohio Blogger Alliance has undertaken the task of highlighting criticisms of the Obama ticket that the in-the-tank MSM works hard to downplay or outright ignore.  The effort has been titled “Help Ohio Prevent Electing Obama Now” (HOPE ON), and, in all, 13 installments will be rolled out for blog readers to peruse and reflect upon.

Here are my recaps of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9.

The Boring Made Dull has the scoop on Part 10.  You can check out the video there or here.  Obama claims there will be those in the middle class who get tax breaks, but he’s never actually voted that way in the U.S. Senate.  Obama talk of federal initiatives and taxes make it sound as if the government creates wealth, but the government doesn’t.  The people create the wealth of the nation, and tax policy must reflect that, but Obama’s principles don’t even acknowledge that.

From the Buckeye RINO standpoint:

John McCain has said that he will not raise taxes because he knows that it would hurt the economy’s recovery hopes.  I have not dwelt too much the tax proposals of the presidential candidates, as I’m sure you’ve heard the talking points many times over.  I have, however, said a few things about taxes relative to ethically challenged sub-prime lenders playing shell games in order to avoid paying taxes.  I’ve also made some down-ticket endorsements based partly upon candidate platforms relating to taxes, like Nick Brusky for Lorain County Commissioner, Larry Silcox for Huron County Commissioner, Dave Potter for Congress from Ohio’s 13th, and Jeff Wagner for state rep from the Ohio House 81st District.  I’ve also noted that the Democrat machine in Lorain County uses some strong-arm tactics to intimidate residents from trying to interfere with hiking taxes.

The State of Ohio Blogger Alliance has undertaken the task of highlighting criticisms of the Obama ticket that the in-the-tank MSM works hard to downplay or outright ignore.  The effort has been titled “Help Ohio Prevent Electing Obama Now” (HOPE ON), and, in all, 13 installments will be rolled out for blog readers to peruse and reflect upon.

Here are my recaps of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8.

Cornell McCleary of American Experience has the scoop on Part 9.  The video link is here.  This is a reminder of Martin Luther King Jr.’s admonition that we not look upon each other according to the color of our skin, but that we look upon each other according to the content of our character.

From the Buckeye RINO perspective:

We Americans haven’t yet arrived at the point where we pay no more attention to the color of our skin.  The progress we’ve made in our nation’s history from the days of slavery and the days of Jim Crow has continued apace, but has not been completed.  I, personally, have spent much of my adult life living in non-white households and non-white neighborhoods.  I can share personal experiences that are illustrative of the progress that still needs to be made, but I don’t wish to stir the pot today.  Having said that, I will say this:  The other nations of the Earth have not made as much progress toward tolerance as America has.  We blaze the trail that other nations follow.  And while other nations may have enacted policies that they may point to as being more friendly to diversity and more respectful toward basic human rights than the United States of America, I remind you that those same nations still have a longer way to go in real life than they do on paper.  In real life, America leads.

As a Republican, I belong to the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.  Abolitionists formed the core of the party faithful when it was founded.  Abolitionists in early America were among those most likely to adhere to the principle that “all men are created equal,” as expressed in the Declaration of Independence.  Abolitionists were found in large numbers in Ohio during the state’s early years.  The shortest routes of the Underground Railroad from the antebellum South to Canada ran through Ohio.  Ohio raised the largest contingent of soldiers to fight for the Union Army during the Civil War.  I am a descendant of early Ohio’s abolitionists.  For about a decade after the war, newly emancipated slaves identified strongly with the Republican Party until Rutherford B. Hayes screwed that up by swallowing a poison pill in order to win the presidential election of 1876 that was decided by the U.S. House of Representatives when all candidates failed to garner a majority vote of the Electoral College.  The end of Reconstruction ushered in the era of Jim Crow, and no attempt was made to crush Jim Crow for an entire century, when the Civil Rights era was ushered in.  During that century, America fought two World Wars, and a number of Americans, black and white, migrated to the industrial North from the agricultural South to find work in the factories that supplied the nation with its war hardware.  Ohio’s relatively progressive views on race were smothered beginning with the Hayes administration of 1877.  By the time that Democrats took the leadership role in the Civil Rights movement of the late 1960’s, Ohio’s population and attitudes had changed a lot.  While African-Americans found themselves enfranchised anew, and large numbers of them identified with the Democrat Party, pockets of deep racism existed among whites of both major political parties.  For my part, I have endeavored to join my voice with others in my party to urge Ohio Republicans to close the rifts that separate us by race.  Though I am not pleased by the scarcity of people of color within the Republican Party’s membership, I am pleased that we’ve been able to make progress in removing the glass ceiling for Republican candidates of color to aspire to any elected office they choose to pursue.  Regarding removal of the glass ceiling, I’d venture to say that Ohio’s Republicans have outshined Ohio’s Democrats.  Many Ohio Republicans nowadays are willing to cast votes for candidates based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin.  I’ve already voted for a black U.S. President twice, during the primaries of 1996 and 2000 when I was drawn to the empowering message of Alan Keyes.  The Democrat Party’s insistence that this presidential election should be a referendum on racism by electing Barack Obama has elicited responses of puzzlement by many of my fellow conservative Ohio bloggers who were so passionately outspoken in their support for Ken Blackwell just two years ago.  For many of us, elections of candidates are already about the content of a person’s character, the vision for where a person wants to lead, the articulation of where a person stands on the issues, and not the color of a person’s skin.

Nevertheless, I have spotted instances of intolerance during this election cycle, and have even written some blog entries calling attention to some of those instances.  I think it was wrong to put Reverend Wright on parade.  Obama’s message was distinctly different than Wright’s.  I felt that Barack Obama was being persecuted for his religious observances.  I even called out Mitt Romney, the candidate I voted for in the primary, when I thought he was crossing the line.  I am familiar with liberation theology, and I see the positives that come from it, so I think that the fearmongering against it is inherently racist.  I was alarmed when it was rumored that someone shouted “Kill him,” referencing Barack Obama as the target, at a McCain rally, and I urged cooperation with the Secret Service if anyone had any evidence of such conspiracies afoot.

When coverage is so heavy concerning the presidential race, some important candidates can get ignored in the shuffle.  So if you are in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District and only know who incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur is, but have no clue who Republican challenger Bradley Leavitt is, I’m happy to report that the PBS station in Toledo, WGTE, has video footage of Mr. Leavitt on its program “Deadline NOW,” that originally aired on October 17th.  The video link is here. The host of the show, Jack Lessenberry, interviews both Bradley Leavitt and Democrat challenger George Mays, who is running for Ohio’s 5th Congressional District seat against Republican incumbent Bob Latta.

I’ve noted before that both Kaptur and Latta voted NO both times on the bailout bill, and I applaud them for those NO votes.

Kaptur (“Deadline NOW” video of her from September 5th), as Leavitt notes, hasn’t exhibited leadership to match her 26 years of seniority.  The district hasn’t benefited much from her representation.  An example of something still waiting to be done is the construction of the proposed I-73, an interstate highway that would link a number of states, but that would also provide a critical direct link between Toledo and Columbus.  What can get the project off the drawing board and into production?  I’ve had the opportunity to see both Kaptur and Leavitt in person.  I’m voting for Leavitt, as I live in the 9th District, myself.

My parents live in the 5th District, and they are supporting Latta.  Nevertheless, it’s important to know something of all the Congressional candidates, so I’m pleased that the video includes George Mays.